World Breaking News

France, Japan back free navigation in Asia-Pacific, Abe says Reuters

March 21, 2017

French President Francois Hollande and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attend a joint declaration at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 20, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer PARIS France and Japan support a “free and open maritime order” in the Asia-Pacific region, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after talks with French President Francois Hollande on Monday. The message seemed aimed at China, which claims almost all the South China Sea and which has fuelled concern in Japan and the West with its growing military presence in the waterway. “Francois and I agreed on the importance of ensuring a free and open maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region (and) of continuing to support the stability and prosperity of this region,” Abe told reporters after the talks. Japan plans to dispatch its largest warship on a three-month tour through the South China Sea beginning in May, three sources said last week, in its biggest show of naval force in the region since World War Two. China pledged a firm response if Japan stirred up trouble in the South China Sea. Abe underlined the importance of separate naval exercises involving personnel or equipment from Japan, France, Britain and the United States to be held around Tinian island in the western Pacific in May. Hollande said France reaffirmed its support for an increased Japanese peace-keeping role and said the two countries would work together to improve the ability of their forces to cooperate. He assured Abe of France’s support after North Korea this month…more detail

Affordable housing bill again raises question of Atkins conflict A bill sponsored in December by state Sen. Toni Atkins would raise money for affordable housing — a critical state need, but also her wife’s line of work. If approved, Senate Bill 2 would generate revenue for affordable housing by tacking a $75 to $225 filing fee on property transfers, excluding... Californians are paying billions for power they don't need The bucolic orchards of Sutter County north of Sacramento had never seen anything like it: a visiting governor and a media swarm — all to christen the first major natural gas…... [read more]

TOKYO Feb 9 Japan's Nikkei share average slipped on Thursday due to pressure from a stronger yen ahead of a meeting this week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.The Nikkei was down 0.2 percent at midday at 18,971.46. The dollar drooped against its peers early on Thursday, hovering near a 10-week low versus the yen, after U.S. Treasury yields slumped due to investor flight to safety. Wall Street provided few directional cues after a mixed performance. The S&P 500 on Wednesday ended slightly higher on earnings reports, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped as…... [read more]

TOKYO Hitachi Ltd (6501.T) on Wednesday said it has received a request from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) (7011.T) for 89.7 billion rand ($6.65 billion) to cover costs from their joint venture's involvement in a South African power plant project.Hitachi in a statement said it rejected the request as lacking legal ground, and that it would continue talks with Mitsubishi Heavy. An MHI spokesman confirmed the request and that talks were ongoing. The amount is almost double an initial request MHI made at the beginning of a 10-month-old dispute over which of the Japanese firms should bear costs from the…... [read more]

(Adds detail on restructuring) PARIS Feb 3 Areva said on Friday Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) are to buy a combined 10 percent stake in nuclear fuel group NewCo for 500 million euros ($538 million). NewCo is being split off from state-controlled nuclear group Areva in a government-led restructuring. Repeated losses have wiped out Areva's capital, prompting the state-led rescue. Areva also said that the capital of NewCo remains open to other strategic investors within the same framework as the agreements currently being finalised. Shareholders of parent company Areva SA and NewCo will vote on…... [read more]

THE United Arab Emirates is preparing to become the first Islamic nation to launch a mission to Mars. In 2020, an unmanned craft called Hope will take off from Japan and travel to the Red Planet. Last year, religious leaders in the UAE issued a fatwa forbidding Muslims from landing on Mars. However, the robotic spaceship will not actually touch down on the Martian surface. It will blast off aboard a Japanese rocket and then go into orbit around the planet. “We are delighted to launch the UAE’s Mars explorer by the Japanese launch vehicle H-IIA from Tanegashima Space Center…... [read more]

TOKYO Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (7011.T) (MHI) expects arbitrators to rule by the end of March on a compensation claim related to the shutdown of California's San Onofre nuclear plant brought by a unit of Edison International (EIX.N)."I have a feeling the ruling will come by the end of the current fiscal year," said MHI President and Chief Operating Officer Shunichi Miyanaga, speaking at a briefing in Tokyo on Thursday after the company released its third-quarter results. MHI's business year ends on Mar. 31. The dispute is being arbitrated by the International Chamber of Commerce. Southern California Edison (SCE)…... [read more]

By Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo | TOKYO TOKYO Tokyo has secured cost cuts on support equipment for its next batch of six U.S. F-35 stealth fighter aircraft of around $100 million, according to sources and Japanese budget papers, on top of savings being finalised for all buyers of the high-tech jets.The deal represents a rare case of Tokyo negotiating down the price of military hardware from its U.S. ally and underscores progress for the Lockheed Martin Corp-run F-35 program, which has faced criticisms over cost overruns and other problems. U.S. President Donald Trump, who lashed the program as "out…... [read more]

TOKYO Japan on Tuesday launched its first military communications satellite to boost the broadband capacity of its Self Defense Forces as they reinforce an island chain stretching along the southern edge of the East China Sea. The satellite lifted off from Japan's Tanegashima space port aboard an H-IIA rocket at 0744 GMT and successfully entered orbit, said a spokesman for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which builds the launcher. (Reporting by Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo; Editing by Lincoln Feast)... [read more]

TOKYO Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp said on Monday deliveries of the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) will be delayed by another two years to adjust the aircraft's systems and electrical configuration. The latest postponement, the fifth since the programme began, means the first customer, Japan's ANA Holdings Inc, will not receive its first aircraft until mid-2020, the subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd said in a press release. The aircraft maker has so far secured 233 firm orders with a further 194 options. (Reporting by Tim Kelly and Maki Shiraki; Editing by Randy Fabi)... [read more]

By Geert De Clercq | PARIS PARIS France will buy out minority shareholders in Areva (AREVA.PA) and delist the troubled nuclear group, the government said on Wednesday as talks with potential investors in a new nuclear fuel company being spun out of Areva neared a conclusion. The state, which owns 87 percent of Areva, said it would offer 4.5 euros per Areva SA share to minority investors which include Kuwait's investment fund, French utility EDF (EDF.PA) and French energy group Total (TOTF.PA). Areva's shares have fallen by as much as 90 percent from their 2007 highs as the group chalked…... [read more]